• Nicaraguan children celebrate their first communion

    Hector Retamal / AFP - Getty Images

    Girls are caught by a gust of wind after a mass in which about 550 children had their first communion at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua on Dec. 12.

    Oswaldo Rivas / Reuters

    Girls wait to receive their first Catholic Holy Communion at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Managua, Nicaragua on Dec. 12. Around 550 children received their first Catholic Holy Communion during a mass organized by the Sandinistas radio station.

    See more photos from Nicaragua on PhotoBlog.

     

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  • Sikh warriors show off their skills during Mohalla

    Raminder Pal Singh / EPA

    An Indian 'Nihang,' or a man whose ancestors belonged to Sikh warrior clan, stands on top of two running horses as he shows his riding skills during Mohalla in Amritsar, India, Nov. 14.

    Each year members of various major Nihang groups display their martial arts and horse riding skills during the Mohalla procession, the day after Diwali in Amritsar, India. The Sikh celebration of the return of the sixth Guru Hargobind from detention in the Gwalior Fort, known as Bandi Chhorh Divas, marks the day Guru Hargobind had agreed to his release on the condition that the other fifty-two vassal kings who were detainees would also be released.

    --European Pressphoto Agency, Agence France-Presse

    Narinder Nanu / AFP - Getty Images

    Members of the traditional Sikh religious warriors' Nihang Army perform the martial art known as Gatka during 'Fateh Divas' in Amritsar on Nov. 14.

    Raminder Pal Singh / EPA

    Children dressed in religious attire react as they watch 'Gatka,' a form of Sikh martial art being displayed during a religious procession called Mohalla in Amritsar, India, Nov. 14.

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  • Afro-Peruvians honor heritage with religious fete

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    Norma Vargas Portillo, right, and Milagros Gallardo walk hand in hand before performing a traditional Afro-Peruvian dance during festivities in honor of Santa Efigenia in La Quebrada, Peru, Sept. 23, 2012.

    Associated Press reports — Every year, Peruvians descended from African slaves come to La Quebrada to celebrate an adored black saint.

    The devotees join in a procession for Santa Efigenia, enthusiastically singing Afro-Peruvian songs interspersed with solemn Roman Catholic hymns as they walk the dusty streets of this Pacific coastal town 85 miles (138 kilometers) south of Lima.

    Standing next to the bier holding a statue of the only African saint venerated in Peru, a young boy recites verses about the arrival of slaves rom "Angola, Mozambique and Timbuktu" to work in the region's sugar cane fields.

    Girls in bright traditional dresses from a group called "La Carimba," for the brand burned by a hot iron on the skin of slaves, dance to a beat produced by the jawbone of a donkey on a wooden box.

    Cat races, a fireworks dance and a night of eating and drinking close out the celebration.

    A chapel was built in La Quebrada in the 18th century dedicated to Santa Efigenia, who was popular among the then Spanish colony's African slaves. Fervor for the saint faded over the years, until in 1994 efforts by black activists to honor the Afro-Peruvian culture led to a festival being held for Efigenia in La Quebrada.

    EDITOR’S NOTE: These images were made available to NBC News on Oct. 9

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    A man dances "La Vaca Loca" or "The Crazy Cow" during festivities in honor of Santa Efigenia in La Quebrada, Peru, Sept. 23.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    Villagers gather in a bar in La Quebrada, Peru, Sept. 22.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    People carry the statue of Santa Efigenia during a procession in La Quebrada, Peru, Sept. 23.

    Rodrigo Abd / AP

    A woman watches the procession of Santa Efigenia in La Quebrada, Peru, Sept. 23.

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  • Ariana Cubillos / AP

    Venezuelan Catholics honor Saint Peter

    Faithful, dressed in colonial era clothing and wearing handkerchiefs representing the colors of the political parties of the time, take part in the annual San Pedro Parranda in Guatire, Venezuela on June 29, 2012. The celebration is believed to have originated in the 19th century by the black slave Maria Ignacia, who believed that San Pedro, or Saint Peter, had answered her prayers and began singing and dancing through the town as she had promised if the saint granted her the miracle of healing her daughter. Today residents carry on the tradition, mostly men, who take to the streets with maracas, singing folk songs dedicated to San Pedro.

  • Murad Sezer / Reuters

    Boys in traditional attire attend a ceremony a day before their circumcision ritual at Eyup Sultan square in Istanbul July 8, 2011. As an exercise in good governance, the mass circumcision ceremony for some 100 boys from disadvantaged families in an old Istanbul square, ticks a lot of boxes for Turkey's ruling AK Party and its voters.

    Boys attend a circumcision ceremony in Istanbul

    By Phaedra Singelis, NBC News

    The boys are participating in a ceremony preceding their circumcisions which will take place the following day at a private hospital. The event and the procedure are paid for by the government. This group doesn't look very excited about it, but the parents are grateful for the opportunity for their sons. Full story.

  • Peruvian shamans stage beach side ceremony to wish William and Kate well

    Martin Mejia / AP

    A photograph of Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton, left, stands by a photograph of Prince William's mother, the late Princess Diana, right, on La Herradura beach by a skull during a ritual by Peruvian shamans to send good vibes to their royal wedding in Lima, Peru, Wednesday April 27, 2011. Kate and William will marry on Friday.

    Martin Mejia / AP

    A Peruvian shaman performs in front of a photo of the Britain's Prince William and Kate Middleton during the ritual.

     

  • Afghan New Year: VP calls on militants to lay down arms

    Ahmad Nazar / AP

    Afghans carry balloons to sell, as they walk towards the Sakhi Shrine on occasion of Nawroz, a new year ceremony, in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday, March 21.

    Massoud Hossaini / AFP - Getty Images

    Afghan horsemen compete for a goat carcass during a game of Buzkashi to celebrate Nowruz in Mazar-i Sharif, the center of Afghan New Year's or Nowruz celebrations, in northern Afghanistan on Monday. According to Getty, Nawroz, the festival to celebrate new year starts on March 21 which is being celebrated in Turkey, Central Asian republics, Iraq, Iran, Azerbaijan as well as war-torn Afghanistan and coincides with the astronomical vernal equinox. Hundereds of thousands Afghanistan's people gather from all around of the country in Mazar-i Sharif to celebrate new year.

    Musadeq Sadeq / AP

    Afghan women walk down of a mountain after watching the rising of holy mace outside the Sakhi Shrine on the occasion of Nawroz, a new year ceremony in Kabul on Monday.

    Dar Yasin / AP

    Aishya, an Afghan girl poses for picture on a mountain top on the occasion of Nawroz, the New Year ceremony, held at the Sakhi shrine in Kabul, Afghanistan, on Monday.

    By Elena Grothe

    According to the AP, in a speech today marking the Afghan new year, Vice President Abdul Karim Khalili called on militants to lay down their weapons because the nation would never return to the days of hardline Taliban rule.

    Full story here. Slideshow here.

  • Michael Loccisano / Getty Images

    Inductee Tom Waits and Neil Young perform onstage at the 26th annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at The Waldorf Astoria on March 14, 2011 in New York City.

    Tom Waits and Neil Young perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony

    By Mish Whalen

    Cool photo of Waits and Young during a ceremony that brought together Neil Diamond, Alice Cooper, Tom Waits, Darlene Love, Dr. John and Leon Russell. See more photos from the event here.

  • Thais hold Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Dhammakaya, in Bangkok.

    David Longstreath / AP

    Thais gather to light candles during Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Dhammakaya, Friday Feb. 18, 2010, in Bangkok, Thailand. Makha Bucha is celebrated in Thailand on the full moon of the third lunar month which usually falls in February and is considered one of Thailand's most holy days.

    David Longstreath / AP

    Thais hold candles during Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Dhammakaya, Friday Feb. 18, 2010, in Bangkok.

    David Longstreath / AP

    Thais gather during the Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Dhammakaya, Friday Feb. 18, 2010, in Bangkok.

    David Longstreath / AP

    Thais hold candles during Makha Bucha ceremonies at Wat Dhammakaya, Friday Feb. 18, 2010, in Bangkok.

     

  • Afghan National Army officers march during graduation ceremony in Kabul

    Ahmad Masood / Reuters

    Officers from the Afghan National Army NCOs march during a graduation ceremony in Kabul Dec. 22. 376 Afghan NCOs graduated at a ceremony at the Camp Ghazi on Wednesday in Kabul.

    Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

    Afghan National Army officers attend a graduation ceremony at Ghazi Military Training Center in Kabul on Dec. 22.

    Shah Marai / AFP - Getty Images

    Afghan National Army officers march during a graduation ceremony at Ghazi Military Training Center in Kabul on Dec. 22. has acknowledged that combat troops might remain into 2015.

    From Getty: The Afghan National Army currently numbers 100,000 troops, with plans for it to grow to 240,000 by 2011, funded by NATO and the US, in the hope that rapid improvement in their performance can see foreign forces start to draw down. Limited withdrawals are expected to start next July, with responsibility for security being handed to Afghan forces in 2014, although Obama has acknowledged that combat troops might remain into 2015.